Both leaders expressed commitment to responsibly manage the China–U.S. relationship during the critical transition period, the White House said
President Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Nov. 16 for their final in-person meeting of Biden’s presidency. During their discussion, which lasted one hour and 40 minutes, Xi expressed China’s readiness to work with the incoming U.S. administration.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, at the hotel where Xi was staying.
During his opening remarks, Xi told Biden: “The United States has recently concluded its elections. China’s goal of a stable, healthy, and sustainable China–U.S. relationship remains unchanged.
“China is ready to work with the new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation, and manage differences, so as to strive for a steady transition of the China–U.S. relationship for the benefit of the two peoples.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters after the meeting that Biden and Xi covered a wide range of issues, describing their discussion as “candid” and “constructive.”
Biden told Xi that “he has worked hard to responsibly manage the competition” with China for the past four years to prevent it from spiraling into conflict, Sullivan said.
Both leaders are committed to responsibly managing this relationship during the critical transition period, he said.
The two leaders also spoke about “areas of friction,” Sullivan said, citing China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base, military activity around Taiwan, unfair trade policies, and increasing aggression in the South China Sea.
Biden and Xi also touched on China’s relationship with North Korea, particularly as U.S. and Western intelligence assessments indicate North Korea has deployed troops to assist Russian forces in the ongoing war with Ukraine.
During the meeting, Biden expressed “grave concern” about North Korea’s involvement, Sullivan said.
The White House earlier indicated that the United States and its allies—South Korea and Japan—believed China “has a role to play” in dissuading the Russia–North Korea partnership from growing further.
By Ryan Morgan and Emel Akan
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